A Love Story: In 26 Parts
by pamhalpert
Summary: L/J 'And then he did what he always does. He hugged me close and then whispered, "I love you," in my ear.' A series of vignettes about James and Lily's love story. One for every letter of the alphabet.
1. A is for Apology

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N-**So this is just a little something…I dunno. Sometimes it's easier to just write scenes than an entire story. So this story is a series of vignettes about James and Lily at various points of their relationship. One story for every letter of the alphabet.

**Chapter One: A is for Apology**

_7__th__ Year – Dating – Lily's POV_

"Are you not speaking to me now? Is that what this is?" James yelled angrily behind me. He had been following me for a while now; all the way across the grounds and now through the entrance hall and up two flights of stairs. I could hear his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor, bouncing off the walls at a much faster rate than mine were. Our purposes were different though. He was trying to catch up with me. I was stomping as loudly as I could to show how angry I was. Overly dramatic? Maybe. But you better believe James knew I was pissed.

"After what you said, I should do a lot worse than not speak to you!" I called over my shoulder, though making sure not to make eye contact or slow down. My eyes have a nasty habit of tearing up whenever James and I fight and I'd really rather not face him crying right now.

"After what _I_ said? What did I say? I didn't even have time to say 'hello' to you before you stormed back into the castle!" he yelled exasperatedly. He was catching up to me. I could hear his voice much more clearly now and I wiped desperately at my cheeks because I knew that even if I burst into a full fledged sprint now he would catch me easily. What with those freakishly long legs of his.

"Answer me, Lily," he demanded as he reached for my arm and spun me around to face him. It still surprised me that as angry as he was (and he was angry – his normally amused hazel eyes were dark and stormy) he could still be so gentle. Yet as his eyes swept over my face, I watched his eyes go from dark and stormy to concerned. "Why are you crying?" His voice was calmer, though the anger was still present.

After fruitlessly trying to pull out of his grasp, I went limp. But giving in just made the tears come faster.

A moment passed and he lifted a hand to my cheek to sweep a tear away with his thumb. "Tell me what I did," he pleaded quietly. "I don't like making you cry."

Acting like a two year-old throwing a temper tantrum rather than the seventeen year-old I am, I pushed away from him as hard as I could. Narrowing my eyes, I spat out, "Well, you're not, so don't flatter yourself," and then turned on my heel and walked away. I tried to remain calm as I headed for the portrait hole. My footsteps were the only ones I could hear, but I knew that he was standing in the same spot, his shoulders slumped in defeat, watching me walk away from him.

As soon as I heard the portrait close behind me, I bolted. I was aware that every eye in the Gryffindor common room was on me as I ran through and disappeared up the girls' staircase, but at that particular moment in time, I didn't really care. Mary caught a glimpse of my face as I tore into the room but didn't have time to get to me before I drew the curtains tightly around my bed. I could hear her pad across the room and stop by my bed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other the way she does when she's undecided or nervous about something. And then I heard her move away and leave the dormitory, discretely giving me the privacy she knew I needed.

As I lay on my back, staring blankly at the scarlet canopy above my bed, the tears returned. I knew why I cried when I fought with James but not when I fought with my other friends. It was fear. Ever since we started dating, I'd been worrying about the fight that would finally end the fairytale we live in. It seemed inevitable. We argued too much. And even though our big blowout fights were few and far between now, we still bickered too much. Even when it is just playful teasing, I am constantly in fear that the next one will be the big one. It will be the one that pushes one or both of us over the edge.

At first it didn't worry me as much. I had figured that getting together meant an eventual breakup, but I knew that he was worth it. But now…I loved him too much. Losing him would be unbearable.

And I knew that this wasn't the one. I knew that when I finally stopped acting crazy and James and I sat down and talked it through like we always did that things would be fine. I know that he will pull me close and whisper "I love you," in my ear. Then he'll tease me about overreacting and I'll tell him he's a prat and we'll both laugh and move on until our next fight. And then it will happen all over again…until at last it doesn't anymore.

And I don't want to know what happens after that.

Amber rays of sunlight spilled through the window and into the dormitory as the sun began to set. I heard a set of slow footsteps make their way up the staircase and stop outside my door. Then came the knock.

And then his voice. "Lily…please, open the door." I hated it whenever he came up here. He would never tell me how he managed it without the staircase turning into a slide. But he sounded tired and his voice was pleading, so I pulled the curtains slowly back and made my way across our messy dorm and over to the door. I could see the outline of his body through the opaque glass. He was leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets.

As I cracked open the door, just wide enough so that he couldn't see inside, he looked up at me and all final traces of anger left me. "Hey," I murmured before opening the door the rest of the way. He recognized the invitation and wasted no time moving forward and wrapping his arms around my shoulders and hugging me into his chest.

Allowing his scent to wash over me, I sighed deeply. He kissed my forehead gently and then followed me as I walked over to my bed. He stood at the edge like he always does, waiting for me to give the final okay that he is allowed to sit down. It was endearing and sweet. I had thought he would get over it eventually, but he hadn't yet and I still thought it was cute.

"Are you going to tell me why you're mad at me now?" he asked as he leaned back on the headboard next to me. I rested my head on his shoulder and he took my hand in his and absentmindedly traced patterns on my wrist with his thumb. "I'm not mad at you anymore," I whispered, smiling.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he turned his head so that he could lock eyes with me. "Okay…will you tell me why you were mad at me earlier then?"

"Are you willing to bargain with me?" I asked playfully. He narrowed his eyes but waited for me to continue. "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell me that I'm just overreacting." He grinned in spite of himself but shook his head and muttered, "Not a chance," before kissing me softly. "Fine then, I…uh…I overheard you talking to Sirius…out by the lake." He continued to look at me, confusion etched into his features.

"And…" he prompted when I didn't continue.

"_And_…I heard you tell him that he should break up with Jenny because she has a weird laugh."

"Annoying is the word I believe I used. Her laugh is _annoying_. But I still don't get why that upset you. I thought you didn't even really like her…"

"Actually, I'm quite fond of her for your information. I just don't like her dating Sirius. But that's beside the point." I sighed, knowing that what I was about to say would probably sound insane to him. "The point is that you told him to break up with her over something stupid like an annoying laugh…what is that supposed to make me think about us? If that's your advice to him…then how long until I do something that annoys you enough to make you break up with me? And for that matter, why haven't you done it before now? Because I know for sure that I've done plenty of things that drive you crazy…"

Again with the damn tears. My voice was getting shakier and shakier as I continued to speak, but anger flared up and licked my insides as his body began shaking with silent laughter. "Lily…that is quite possibly your greatest overreaction yet. To think that you could ever do anything annoying enough to make me break up with you is just…just…ridiculous!"

As he continued laughing, tears of mirth forming in the corners of his eyes, I just stared at him, my mouth gaping open. "I don't see why it's funny." When he continued to be unable to speak through the laughter, I kept talking. "It only makes sense that the relationship advice you give to others is the advice you yourself would follow."

"Are you crazy?" he laughed.

"Apparently," I stated sarcastically. "And stop laughing," I demanded.

"All right…sorry," he chuckled, still trying to wipe that stupid grin off of his face. "Baby…I was telling _Padfoot_ that he needed to break up with Jenny. It's completely different with you and me." I was looking at him skeptically, hoping that his explanation got better than that. "He's dating her because she's someone to occupy his time…just something to do when he's bored. She doesn't actually mean anything to him. You…" he smiled genuinely at me, "Lily, you mean _everything_ to me. Don't ever doubt that," he whispered, lifting his hand to my cheek again and softly caressing it.

And then he did what he always does. He hugged me close and then whispered, "I love you," in my ear. Then he teased me about overreacting and I called him a prat. We lay on my bed for a few more minutes and then got up and headed to dinner, hand in hand.

**A/N-**I hope you liked it. This is just a little something for me to do to keep the creative juices flowing whenever I don't have time to write a long chapter in _Our Moments._ Don't worry about that. I'm still really excited about the next chapter of that story.

The next chapter will be "B is for Bravery" so any guesses as to what is in store for the next chapter? How about dropping me a review and letting me know what you think! Thanks everyone!


	2. B is for Bravery

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N-**I know…it's amazing! A nice quick update. This is a scene that I've been toying with since I read the 7th book. I may rewrite it as a one-shot some other time when I'm not restricted to starting new paragraphs with a word that starts with "B" but then again, maybe not. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter Two: B is for Bravery**

_5__th__ Year – Lily's POV_

"Beats me," said a blonde second year in front of me. She was talking to a gangly girl who I was pretty sure was in Hufflepuff, but I'm not certain. The second girl had her mouth hanging open in amazement. They were talking about the only thing that anyone seemed to be discussing these days: whether or not James Potter had indeed saved Severus Snape's life. "It sounds like the kind of heroic thing he would try to do but then again, I can hardly imagine a scenario in which he would _ever_ risk his neck to save _Snape._ He hates that guy," the first girl said, echoing my thoughts exactly. Running down a dark tunnel where something dangerous will probably kill you does sound like the kind of idiotic thing that Potter would do.

But then again, when has he ever done anything remotely kind to Sev, let alone save his life? It also sounded like the kind of rubbish he would make up so that everyone would think he was wonderful. That would be an easy theory to disprove if say your best friend would talk to you, but Sev hadn't been any help. All he'd said was, "I don't want to talk about Potter," and then walked away moodily.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a noisy affair. Everyone was talking loudly either about their weekend or quickly trying to copy the last bit of the essay they'd forgotten to do. The Marauders were no exception to this rule. They were the loudest group in the entire Hall. I could hear their boisterous laughter over everyone else, even as I stood just inside the doors at the entrance. Potter was easy enough to spot as tall as he was and with that hair sticking up in every direction possible. He and Sirius seemed to be telling some sort of story, reenacting it with wild hand gestures while Peter and Remus laughed. Remus looked tired, as though he hadn't had any rest in the Hospital Wing while he was sick all weekend.

Breathing in deeply, I gathered the confidence I needed and walked determinedly to where the four boys sat. Remus saw me first and tried to make the others aware of my presence by discretely coughing and pointing in my direction. Potter and Sirius stopped talking immediately and turned to look in my direction. As soon as he saw that it was me, that stupid smirk spread across his face and his hand jumped immediately to his hair, giving it a nice ruffle before I marched up to him.

"Beautiful day, huh, Evans?" he said as a greeting, ridiculously attempting to lower his voice, and flashing me what I'm sure he considered a winning smile.

"Beautiful?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, looking up at the ceiling of the Great Hall to see dark, swirling clouds that looked as though they were about to begin dumping buckets of rain on the castle at any moment. Even as I looked back down at him I heard a low rumble of thunder from outside the walls. "Sure…it's gorgeous. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Surprise registered momentarily on his face before his normally suave mask slipped back into place. I tried to ignore the way that Sirius looked over at Remus and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"But of course," Potter answered. "How about…hmmm…how about this weekend, the Three Broomsticks, say one o'clock? I'll buy!" The other three boys started laughing and Potter simply peered up at me, innocent smile in place, awaiting my reply.

Blinking in surprise at this unexpected answer (though I don't know why I don't expect him to say stupid things anymore) I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest and began tapping my foot irately. It was hard enough for me to be civil to him without him saying stupid things like that, but I desperately tried to hold my tongue and not spit out some biting comment. So, I took another deep breath and answered, "No, I'm not asking you out. I just want a word."

Bringing his glass of orange juice up to his lips and taking a long sip, he shrugged. "Sorry, Evans, but that's the only way you're getting a word out of me. It's lunch and words on Saturday, or nothing. Your choice." He looked rather pleased with himself, still smiling serenely at me. Remus was looking awkwardly between the two of us while Sirius and Peter were still chuckling.

"_Boys!_" I thought angrily. "Fine, have it your way," I hissed and turned on my heel to stomp off toward Mary and Jenna, knowing full well that I wouldn't have to walk too far. "Evans! WAIT!" he called after only three steps. A satisfied smile creeping up on my face, I turned around to see him looking extremely disgruntled. "I'll talk…just come back." I hesitated a moment and then conceded, walking slowly back to where he and his friends were sitting. It was almost too easy to manipulate him sometimes.

Beating his grits moodily with his spoon, he looked up at me. "What do you want to talk about?" I was about to start badgering him about the rumors whenever I noticed that all three of his friends were listening intently and one of them in particular (though I won't say who) had an annoying smirk on his face. "Alone?" I questioned.

But that was a huge mistake. Potter's eyes lit up as did Sirius'. "Nice work, mate," he exclaimed triumphantly. "She turned you down for a date but it seems that Evans here is finally ready for that snog you've been proposing." Even Remus couldn't keep from laughing and Peter was clutching his hands over his mouth and avoiding my glare.

"Black…that is possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. I'd rather lick bedpans in the hospital wing."

Barks of laughter followed that comment, though only from three of the boys. Potter looked pretty irked, which, I'll be honest, gave me great pleasure. "Aww, come on, Lily. James isn't _that_ bad at kissing," Remus teased, giving me a shy smile and then ducking when Potter threw a blueberry muffin at his head. Peter was snickering heartily and Potter glared at him too, but then stood up and grabbed my arm before dragging me out of the Great Hall. When we were outside in the silent corridor, he turned to look at me (not before ruffling his hair again…ugh) and then stuffed his hands into his pockets. He still looked rather irritated, but what did I care. It was nice to be playing the opposite role in our relationship where I was the one bugging him. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

Boosting my confidence one last time (as I was feeling considerably less comfortable now that we were away from all the noise) I began. "Are the rumors true?"

Beaming instantly, he asked, "What rumors? That I'm a fantastic kisser? I don't know, you tell me." He took a step toward me and I was torn between giving him a hard slap across the face or grabbing my wand and jinxing him so much that he wouldn't be able to sit down for the rest of the week. Fortunately for him, I just put my hands up and held him at arm's length.

"Bleargh! Don't make me sick…I wasn't kidding about the bedpans." He grimaced at me, but stopped his advance and stepped backward. "First of all, I haven't actually heard _those_ rumors…but I actually mean the rumors that you saved Severus' life." His eyes grew to the size of galleons as he looked at me and then a deep crease formed on his forehead. "I'll take that as a 'yes,'" I said to myself. "Why'd you do it?"

"Back up a second…where did you hear that?" He did not seem pleased at all that I knew about this, which actually surprised me. I had figured that, true or not, he had been the one who had started spreading the rumors.

Baffled, I stared back at him. "It's all over the castle. Honestly, _everyone_ is talking about it." I watched him closely, more surprised by every second that passed. "What happened? Start at the beginning."

"Beginning of what? There's nothing to tell."

"Bull crap, Potter. Everyone knows about it and you seem to be the only person who _doesn't_ want to talk about it…that seems pretty suspicious to me." He didn't look like he was willing to budge, but then again, neither would I. We stood there, silent, for some time. This was easily the most irritated he'd ever been with me. "Come on…everyone's saying you're a hero! Surely you want to tell _me_ all about it," I said, batting my eyes and giving him a small smile in an attempt to be persuasive. He gave me a sarcastic smile, but then sighed resignedly.

"Basically…without going into too much detail…" then he paused for a moment. "Actually, you tell me what you've heard and I'll tell you if that's what really happened." I rolled my eyes, but at least he was willing to talk now.

"Bernie Anderson told me that Severus went _under_ the Whomping Willow…I'm not sure exactly what that means but I guess there's some kind of tunnel or something down there. Anyway, he said that there's something in the tunnel that would have killed Severus, but that you went after him and pulled him back." I watched him apprehensively, scrutinizing every movement, every word to see if he was lying to me or not. If there was one thing I'd learned from all of my arguments with him, it was how to tell when he was lying or being truthful. He sighed again and then nodded, confirming the story. "What was down there?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"Bears…" he answered quickly. When I didn't look convinced, he added, "and vampires?" When I just shook my head and rolled my eyes, he said, "I don't really know, to be honest." _That_ was clearly a lie. He had looked down at the ground and kicked a pebble across the hall, but he obviously was reluctant to talk about it and it didn't really matter, not in the grand scheme of things. "Anyway, it's not a big deal," he continued. "I did what any normal, halfway decent person would have done in my position." Then I felt something I'd never felt in relation to Potter before…gratitude.

Blushing, I spoke up, albeit in a very quiet voice. "It takes a lot more than just a 'halfway decent person' to risk their life for someone they hate." He shook his head and didn't really make eye contact with me, but I saw a blush creep up his cheeks too. We didn't say anything for a moment…both of us rather embarrassed and neither really sure what to do with ourselves when I wasn't yelling and he wasn't being an arrogant idiot. Luckily, the bell rang signaling the end of breakfast.

"Back to reality, I guess," he muttered and then walked around me and trotted back to the Great Hall. I watched him go, and decided against saying anything else when I saw Mary and Jenna waiting for me.

But before I could stop myself, I was yelling, "James!" He turned around and looked more shocked at my use of his first name than he had all morning. "What?" he hollered back, still looking like a deer in the headlights. I jogged up to him, aware that people were staring at us. "Thank you…for saving Severus."

Blinking back his surprised expression, he muttered, "I didn't do it for you," and then turned around to walk toward Sirius, Remus and Peter who were waiting for him with his bag. I watched him momentarily as his friends asked him what we had talked about and he quickly brushed it aside and changed the subject.

Bewildered and utterly confused, I let them walk past me. Potter didn't look at me once, though the other three did. He just kept talking about some essay that he hadn't done and how he was planning to sweet talk one of the professors so that he could get an extension. I'd never seen him act so…humble. It figured that the one thing he ever did that actually impressed me was the one time he didn't want anyone else to know. Maybe this was a turning point for us. Maybe he was growing up. Maybe there was more to James Potter than just a cocky athlete who didn't care about anyone but himself.

But then again, maybe not.

Because literally, as I was meditating on those thoughts, I saw Black trip a first year and then shoot a charm at him that split his pants open at the seam, followed immediately by the boisterous laughter of his three idiot friends.

Bastards.

**A/N-**There's chapter 2…a nice, quick update. I read a story like this on an _Office_ fan fiction site. I quite enjoyed it and still like to go back and read some of the interesting ways that she managed to pull something like this off, especially with really difficult letters like "Q" and "X." I might have to cheat on those chapters. Either that or they will be nice and short.

Anyway, leave a review if you enjoyed this. The next chapter will be up sometime. I'm going to try and devote some free time to my other story. But the next chapter here will be "C is for Crowded." Any speculation?


	3. C is for Candles

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N-**This is...not my best work. It was supposed to be "C is for Crowded" but clearly I could never get it right. I feel like I didn't really use James's voice like I should but...whatever. C was hard. Hopefully D will be more forgiving. I hope you enjoy reading it more than I enjoyed writing it.

**Chapter Three: C is for Candles**

_Married - James' POV_

"Can I take this stupid blindfold off yet?" Lily asked, a hint of irritation in her voice. "I know what the place looks like. I don't need it to be a surprise." I was leading her into our new apartment…our _first_ apartment. She just got back from visiting her sister for a few days. I met her at our designated Apparition spot and immediately (well…not _immediately_. We did go through the newlywed "it's been forever since I've seen you" niceties first) tied one of my rarely used ties around her eyes.

"Can you be a bit more patient please?" I replied in a tone which I knew was maddeningly arrogant. I somehow managed to keep myself from laughing at the very irritated look on her face that followed my question.

Clamping down on my hand a little harder than was strictly necessary, she said through clenched teeth, "James, I'm tired. I just spent four horrible days with Petunia. I know I still have a million boxes to unpack. Can't whatever ridiculous thing you have to show me wait until tomorrow?"

Closing the door behind us as we entered our small, dark living room, I reached up and pulled the tie away from her head and I heard her breath catch in her throat. I'd spent the better part of the past four days unpacking all of our boxes and getting things put away. My back was sore from lifting boxes loaded with books and my arms and legs ached. Candles covered every surface of the living room and kitchen, their soft, flickering light bouncing off of Lily's smooth skin.

Complete shock was evident on her face as she turned to look at me. She was speechless for a moment, her emerald eyes sparkling. "I..I can't believe you did all of this!" she whispered, dumbfounded. "Thank you." She pushed up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips gently to mine.

Circling my arms around her, I looked down and was surprised to see a glistening tear streaking down her cheek.

Concerned, I asked, "What's wrong?" as I lifted and hand to wipe the tear away.

Continuing to stare around and the room, she answered in a hoarse voice. "You just don't understand. I had a horrible time with Petunia. I thought that maybe we'd finally be able to put all of this nonsense behind us but she was just the same. I tried talking to her about our wedding and our flat and I'm convinced that she doesn't even know your name. The only thing she seemed even remotely interested in talking about was how to decorate her new house. And I was dreading coming home and having to do all this…and you already did it." She stepped closer into my embrace and rested her head on my chest. "You have no idea how relieved I feel." She sighed and I enjoyed the feeling of having her in my arms again. I'm sure a day will come further on in our marriage where four days apart won't seem like an eternity, but the last week was nothing short of bleak without her around. "There was a lot to unpack. You were very brave to get started without me."

"Crazy… I think the word you meant to use is crazy. I started pretty soon after you left and when I went to bed that night, it looked like I hadn't even started…except for the fact that there was crap _everywhere!_" She giggled. "You know I'm still probably going to redo most of it," she remarked, looking up at me with raised eyebrows.

Confusion, I'm sure, was clear on my face because she started giggling again. "It's a girl thing. I need to put things where they belong and while I'm sure you did a fine job, I doubt anything is where it's supposed to be."

Chuckling and rolling my eyes, I murmured, "Whatever you say, honey. Knock yourself out." I kissed her again, longer this time, hoping that she realized how much I had missed her while she was gone. We'd only been married about a month. After a weeklong honeymoon, we'd crashed at Padfoot's place while looking for an apartment. The day we signed the lease, Lily got a call from her sister telling her that she had found a bunch of her old stuff and that if she didn't come get it then she was throwing it away. So Lily went to Surrey to visit her and at the request of some of her old friends, stayed a few extra days.

"Can I tell you something?" I asked, my voice husky.

"Certainly," she murmured, pressing her lips against the hollow of my throat.

Closing my eyes and pulling her as close as I could, I leaned down and whispered, "I missed you," in her ear. I felt her smile against my chest. "I missed you too. I couldn't wait to get back home." I stayed silent for a moment, breathing in the floral fragrance of her hair, feeling her chest rise and fall gently as she breathed against me.

"Come on," I said more loudly, releasing all of her but her hand and pulling her through the kitchen.

"Care to tell me where we're going?" she asked, her voice amused but her feet dragging.

Catching her up in my arms I said, "I was thinking of showing you the bedroom. I unloaded all of the boxes in there too, you know."

"Candles too?" she asked, giggling. I nodded. "Good, because I don't give it up unless there are candles."

**A/N**-There you go! Short and sweet and to the point. I'll get to work on D soon enough. As of now it will be "D is for Dancing." Any guesses as to what that will be about? Leave a review! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what your predictions are for the next chapter, anything! I love you guys for reading!

Chuckling, I began walking toward the bedroom door. "Is that so?" She nodded again, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably. "I happen to know for a fact that statement is a lie," I muttered, causing her to giggle again.


	4. D is for Dancing

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N:** So…yes, this took quite a while to get done. D was surprisingly difficult for me. Plus, I've been so sporadic with _Our Moments_ that when I was in the mood to write, I felt that my time needed to be spent on that story. So here is D! Yay! And for those of you who read _Our Moments_ I just finished writing it. I need to proof it so it should be up sometime tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

**Chapter Four: D is for Dancing**

_7__th__ Year – Dating – James' POV_

Dursley. What the hell kind of a last name is Dursley? Seriously…it is such a lame name that if I were Lily's sister I wouldn't marry this dude just because Dursley would be my last name. But then again, as I sit here, attendee of the extremely long, extremely dull and extremely yellow Dursley wedding, I find myself thinking that the name fits these two people perfectly. I can't really explain it but when I look at that whale of a purple man and Lily's horse-faced sister, Dursley seems to fit them.

"Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?' the preacher drawls slowly in a tone dripping in boredom. I can relate. I didn't even want to come to this wedding but Lily had begged and bribed (and blackmailed) me in order to get me to agree. She kept telling me that she wouldn't survive if I didn't go…that she wouldn't come back. I thought she was being dramatic at the time, but she wasn't. Right now, I'm not sure either of us will survive. If the reception is as awful as the rest of this wedding, we'll both die of boredom.

Directing my line of vision away from the bride and groom, I settle on Lily. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that she's looking back at me. She widens her eyes, obviously as bored as I am, and shakes her head the smallest amount. I have to choke back a laugh and look away to keep from outright laughing in the middle of the vows. When I look back at her, those green eyes are focused once more on her sister, but the corners of her lips are turned up slightly.

Danny, the guy sitting next to me, leans over and whispers, "You know her? The red head?" he asks with a head-jerk in Lily's direction. I nod, thankful that he's not giving me _another_ football score. "Who is she?"

"Didn't you say you're friends with Petunia?" I ask, confused. How could he know Lily's sister and not know Lily? I mean, I didn't know what Petunia looked like, but I certainly knew she existed. He nods his answer and I'm not sure I like the way he's leering at her. "That's Lily." He looks over at me with a blank stare, so I elaborate. "Petunia's sister."

Danny looks shocked (and a bit like an idiot with his mouth hanging open). "Petunia has a sister? Are you sure?"

"Definitely," I mouth at him. Yeah…I really don't like the way he's looking at her now.

"Damn!" he exclaims too loudly, causing the people around us to turn in irritation and give us dirty looks. "She is hot! You think she's one of those slutty, depressed bridesmaids?"

"Dude!" I scold, hitting him in the arm. "She's _my_ girlfriend. Cool it." Now I'm the one earning us dirty looks. Lily is watching me with her eyebrows scrunched together. Once she locks eyes with me she raises one of them reproachfully, telling me without words that I better shut up. I shrug apologetically and she turns her attention away from me again barely containing an eye roll.

Delighted when the ceremony is _finally_ over, I stand and clap with the rest of the guests as the Dursleys make their way down the aisle. Lily is on the arm of a very reluctant looking groomsman, but she doesn't notice because she's looking directly at me. She is gesturing with her head and pointing, clearly telling me to wait for her in the lobby. Some of the people around me are mumbling indignantly that she would dare be gesturing rather than smiling happily while walking down the aisle. I shrug, pretending I haven't got a clue what she is trying to communicate. She looks furious with me and I can't help but laughing at the irate look on her face.

"Dumbass," she grumbles under her breath as she walks up behind me a few minutes later. I just smirk at her and her scowl doesn't last long. Soon she's leaning against the wall next to me. I notice that she is careful to keep some space between us. We haven't been dating very long and I know she still feels a little awkward about it; a little unsure of herself. She sighs and looks over at me. "Urgh…is it over yet?"

"Don't kid yourself. I know you're having a blast," I tease earning me an eye roll.

"Dementors couldn't tear me away," she says sarcastically. I laugh at that and she leans her head back against the cool stone and sighs loudly. I sense something more than boredom there but don't say anything choosing to let her initiate. If I've learned anything about Lily over the past six plus years I've known her, it's that she does _not_ appreciate being pushed about _anything_. "I don't really fit in here," she mumbles without looking over at me. "I haven't fit in with my sister for a long time, but I don't even belong in my parents' world anymore."

"Do you regret leaving it?" I ask quietly. She looks contemplative for a moment, turning over my question in her mind, weighing the pros and cons of both worlds. Then she looks over at me with such a warm assurance in her eyes that it takes me by surprise and shakes her head. Something unspoken passes between us, I'm not sure exactly what it is but the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly and she reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.

Doors across the lobby from us snap open and a booming voice tells us that the reception is now beginning in the banquet hall. We push off from the wall and make our way with the throng of people toward the doors, being shoved unceremoniously back and forth.

"DAD!" Lily calls out, waving to a tall, burly redheaded man in front of us. He stops (causing a tiny woman to crash into him. He apologizes but she gives him a withering look and then walks around him) and turns, giving Lily a questioning look. "Where are we sitting?" Lily asks now, practically screaming.

"Down by the dance floor," he booms. "At the high table." He turns and heads into the room and Lily looks less than excited at the prospect of sitting at the same table with her sister for the next few hours.

Dinner, a Greek salad with rosemary chicken, was served after the first dance. Lily clapped politely with the rest of the guests but I noticed how her eyes glazed over during the cutting of the cakes.

"Doesn't it remind you a bit of Binns' class?" I ask during the speeches. She snorts loudly through a sip from her champagne flute and manages to spit a bit of it out onto the pure white table cloth. She gives me a death glare while I'm stuffing my fist into my mouth to keep from bursting out into fits of laughter. The same woman who ran into her dad earlier (who apparently is Vernon Dursley's grandmother) gives both of us very reproving looks which only make us laugh harder. We avoid eye contact with one another throughout the rest of the speeches, aware that another fit of laughter would surely follow and fearing making more people at our table angry.

"Do tell us, Lily," Vernon's mother says snobbishly as we're making our way through the tiniest pieces of wedding cake I've ever seen in my life, "will yours and James's wedding be the next one we're attending?" Lily chokes on a leaf of salad and I literally drop my fork onto the table in shock, the loud clang causing people at surrounding tables to look over at me. Petunia and Vernon are both gritting their teeth as they watch us, probably feeling even more regret for allowing Lily to bring a date. Lily turns in her chair and gives me a speculative and critical once over and lets the moment of silence hang heavily.

"Doubt it," she says finally, with a smirk before popping another bite of cake into her mouth. I narrow my eyes at her and she just smiles innocently at me. I notice Mr. and Mrs. Evans exchange a small smile.

"Dear me," says Vernon's mother, looking absolutely shocked at Lily's response. "Well…what will you be doing after school then?" Her question is directed at me. The Evanses are looking interestedly down at their plate while Petunia and Vernon both look extremely tense and watch me as though daring me to say my real answer. Lily, on the other hand, is looking at me curiously, almost excited to see how I'm planning on answering.

Darting a quick look at her out of the corner of my eye, I say slowly, "I'm considering going into some branch of law enforcement." It wasn't a lie but it certainly wasn't the truth either. But something tells me that if I say, "I'm going to fight the most evil wizard who ever lived," I would seem less brave and impressive and more insane and unstable. Lily was now snickering into her pudding while Vernon wiped at his massive forehead and Petunia pierced me with a look so severe, her lips so thin, it would have rivaled Professor McGonagall. I decide in that moment not to make eye contact with her anymore.

"Dance with me?" I say quickly, addressing Lily as I notice Vernon's mother gearing up for another question. I expect Lily to do that maddening protest thing she likes to do every time I suggest we do anything together, but apparently she is just as bored and weary of polite family talk as I am and accepts without hesitation.

"Don't step on my feet," she warns good-naturedly as I take her hand and lead her to the other side of the floor, hiding us from the view of the high table.

"Darling, I am a most adept dancer as you are about to find out," I jest, making her grin. "In fact, I am so confident in my skills that if I happen to step on your feet, I give you permission to stomp mine as hard as you can." She laughed and said, "You do realize that I will now intentionally be trying to get you to step on mine."

Dusk is falling outside and the final sun rays of the day are streaming in through the high windows of the hall. I pull Lily close as a slow song comes on, my hand on the small of her back, the other one cradling her hand against my chest. She's taller than she normally is because of the heels she was forced to wear and because of that I am looking almost directly into her deep and fathomless green eyes. Her breasts are just pushed up against my chest and one of her arms is draped around my shoulders, her fingers running through the hair at the nape of my neck. It's sending wild sensations through my body, surges of electricity through my stomach. She feels it too, I can tell. She's having trouble looking directly at me and when she does, she blushes a deep red.

"Did I tell you yet today how beautiful you look?" I ask, voice trembling shamefully. I watch as a smile gently creeps up her lips and she shakes her head no. "Well, you look amazing. Danny and I couldn't take our eyes off of you the entire ceremony. It's shameful, honestly. As a bridesmaid you're supposed to look ugly so that no one looks at anyone except the bride." Lily giggles briefly, but then stops, pondering something.

"Danny?" she asks. I nod and point him out. He's standing at the table of another one of the bridesmaids, probably trying to get lucky or something. "Ew, that idiot! He's such a jerk," she exclaimed indignantly. "He was waiting outside of the room we were all getting ready in and tried to hit on us on the way to the bridal portraits." I can't help but laugh at the absolutely disgusted and irate look on Lily's face. She looks like she'd rather do nothing more than march across the room and slug him in the gut. I'd watch out if I were him. Lily's got a mean left-hook.

"Does this mean I'm not allowed to invite him to our wedding?" I ask, feigning sadness. "I had already decided to sit him at the table with the Dursleys who we're also apparently inviting."

Disbelief was clear on her face as she shook her head with a sarcastic smirk. "I wouldn't start planning our wedding yet, Potter. I still haven't decided whether or not to go on that second date with you. A lot can happen between now and that wedding date you have picked out in that messed up head of yours."

Despite her warning, I couldn't help but feel something shift between us as we danced, Lily in her hideously bright yellow dress, surrounded by a room of people she couldn't stand.

**A/N-**There you go. Hopefully it won't be six months before the next update. Assuming I don't change my mind, the next chapter should be "E is for Early." Thanks to all who review and favorite! It completely makes my day and makes me want to write more!


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